I’m not really close on this one.  I pastor a 3 yr old church plant that runs between 250-300 and am under $50k total package.

$43,200

I don’t think I’m there yet.  But maybe someday as my new church plant grows.  Today we are running toward 100.

These figures have to include everything: benefits, housing, salary and some wishful, “evangelistic” remuneration reporting. Perhaps the report is based on positive confession-- if we say it, it will be so. Anyway, a special thanks should go out from all the pastors facing salary review to the authors, because this report just might be useful in prying some more out of those tightly sealed church coffers. Could it be the authors were trying to pry a little bit out of those tightly sealed pastoral coffers and that’s why they published it?

I have been at my church for almost five years. Our church is in a town of 10,000 and in five years we have gone from around 30 people a week to around 100 people per week.

With everything added together: Salary, Housing Allowance, Social Security Offset, Health Insurance, Retirement and Continuing Education the total is: 72,150. I am grateful to God and our church that money has never been an issue.

I am below average. 125 in worship on Sunday morning and my salary and benefit package combined is about $62k.

Derek

Comparisons like this are always tricky… It looks like I’m a little above average, but I live in a borough of New York City, which is significantly more expensive than other parts of the country.  Statistics like this, given without cost of living indexing, are dangerous both for churches (it can legitimize underpaying someone) and for pastors (we can find ourselves envious, as one brother already noted).

Regarding the comment on IT professionals… Be careful how you compare.  My former career was IT/systems analyst.  When the Handbook says the average pastor makes X including benefits, I assume that includes medical and housing benefits, church-paid expenses, and book & conference accounts.  Saying many IT professionals now make in the $85K ballpark may not take into account total benefits, including profit-sharing, employer contribution to medical care, payroll tax (you should count it since pastors are self-employed for Social Security purposes and pay the employer’s share), expense accounts, educational and equipment costs, etc.  Let’s make sure we’re comparing apples to apples.

Dear frustrated by this!
I’m concerned about the level of rage you express about the issue of clergy compensation on this Christian site. You make some pretty significant assumptions and judgments about how others are doing church and you curse twice as well. Not sure how that is honoring God or how it helps anyone listen to your point.

We are waaaaaay below this.  On paper you would wonder how we can even be making it.  And here in Idaho, a lot of pastors are in the same place we are and have to work bi-vocationally to make it.

But then we are in the desert land of ministry.  Out of our association of 18 churches, my husband is the only seminary educated pastor.

Hey Staff Member...I was once a youth pastor and I can testify that free meals is a huge benefit!

We cannot disregard the way God works through his church to meet our needs through a variety of avenues.

Derek

sorry about my angry words. I am still frustrated. Justin you bring-up good points with those scriptures. Brother, I want to interpret the scriptures completely honestly. So, while those are in there, and I agree we should share and support our leaders, I don’t think our current system is what Jesus intends for us, not by a long shot.

Though Paul said we should share with and give to our leaders, he did not himself require it - which he says numerous times. Rather he supported himself. Are you better than Paul?

Justin, my beloved brother, the fact is, we’re at a place in the Church in America where a small handful of supposedly “called” good talkers come-up with clever acronyms and catchy sayings with cool videos and logos - AND WE CALL THIS CHURCH!?

Several problems with this:
1) the body is not working as a body. We act like only one gift is important: preaching, and those are the ones we pay. No one else really uses their gift, although we encourage it all the time. why can’t those with the gift of pastoring, shepherding do it like Jesus did it and Paul and all the early apostles - do it for free, use their gift like the rest of us should, to edify the body.

1a) Why is there such a high rate of burn-out in pastors? they’re not meant to carry all that weight. We are a BODY, we’re all supposed to be supporting each other. Pastors should not be the Christian celebrity they are - it’s bad for them, it’s bad for the body. This focus on teaching and the resulting salaries for pastors has done this.

2) It’s not working: we’re not creating good disciples. Most Christians don’t even know their bible, let alone live sacrificially for God. On the contrary, we are living in a Christian bubble, insulated from non-Christians - the very people we’re supposed to be going out and loving. this emphasis and rewarding of teaching (by paying salary) is not helping the Church.

3) We think discipleship consists of going to hear someone talk at me from a stage with no questions or interaction. Though this is needed, it’s not the majority of what’s needed. The majority of what is needed is life-on-life teaching, discipleship, mentoring, dialogue, discussion, practical experience, feedback, accountability. - Not only is our current system not accomplishing this, it discourages it b/c it elevates listening to a message as a means for life transformation way higher than it really is.

Well, there’s more I could write about this.

but finally, you’re speaking to 100 ppl every week. You think you really deserve 73,000 for that? That’s $1,400 per week. should I get that much when I go speak somewhere, using my gift, or sharing some helpful thing that God has taught me? Does the Body ... does God really need YOU to do that, that much, that he’d rather pay you for your amazing insight then help outsiders get to know him by using the money to serve Him?

I apologize for my tone and my bad language. This is a VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY serious issue to me and us. I’m frustrated with the current state of things. Don’t think we’re taking stewardship seriously enough - think we’re coasting on what we’ve always done. It’s not working.

“but finally, you’re speaking to 100 ppl every week. You think you really deserve 73,000 for that? That’s $1,400 per week. should I get that much when I go speak somewhere, using my gift, or sharing some helpful thing that God has taught me? Does the Body ... does God really need YOU to do that, that much, that he’d rather pay you for your amazing insight then help outsiders get to know him by using the money to serve Him?”

Do you really think that is all pastors do?
Married to one, and right now, let’s see, he’s counseling a parent who is dealing with an anger problem towards his teen… downstairs there are 18 high schoolers 99% who are from broken homes, waiting for him to start their high school youth group.

Today he.... went and counseled an elderly woman who is completely alone (we have 4 of those by the way, who have only us to help them with their grief, their finances, runs to the hospital and doctor, fear, yard work, heavy lifting.. that’s the short list so far)

anyway, he helped this woman figure out her checkbook because she can’t figure it out and is hounded by debtors and he called those she owes and talked to them for her…

worked on his sermon that (about 15 hours a week to study for a good sermon)

visited the school and talked the counselor of a girl in our group,

counseled a 14 year who just found out she’s pregnant,

then worked on the unfinished church construction project downstairs, answered phone calls… do you want me to go on?

It’s just plain ignorant to say that all a pastor does is preach to a few people every week.

We continually have people in our home, and tell me WHAT is a weekend off like?  Haven’t had one of those in 5 years!

We are the ONLY church in our town.  There are the hungry, the drug addicted, the left alone, and the children of divorced parents trying to cope, often times with drug, sex and alcohol.

This week I’ve talked to the sheriff twice about kids who have run away from home.

Trying not to get ticked off here, but really frustrated myself when I hear your kind of talk.

It’s the pastors who pastor a church of 100 that put in the hours.  There’s never enough help and always more to do.

Dear Mr. Frustrated,

I have not a few friends who have decided not to go into a church ministry because of people like you. My friends want to feed their wives, send their kids to school, pay their electricity bills on time, and perhaps accumulate a few dollars so that when they retire, they will not need to sit on the street and beg for their three meals.

It took me years before I finally serve in a church.

Most of the pastors that I know have no desire to make big money, otherwise, they won’t work in a church at all.

Obvious you are not a pastor yourself, otherwise, you will know better than that.

If you think you are better than the millions unnamed heroes whose desire is to serve God faithfully, you try that yourself (but please don’t come to my church, we are too sinful for you).